Nicely situated on a hilltop above the banks of the Danube river, the baroque Benedictine abbey of Melk has been a cultural and spiritual center for many centuries. It is the finest abbey in Austria and one of the country's top tourist attractions.

History - The first documentary reference to the name Melk dates from the year 831. At that time a castle was built on the top of the cliff where the abbey is today. Margrave Leopold I of the Babenberg dynasty made the castle his residence and ruled from it over large parts of the Marca Orientalis of the Holy Roman Empire. The Marca Orientalis was also known as "Ostarrichi" at that time. It formed the nucleus of what we know today as Österreich (Austria), although it was mainly confined to present-day Niederösterreich (Lower Austria). In 1089 Margrave Leopold II handed the site to Benedictine monks from Lambach. Since then the monks at Melk live in accordance to the rules laid down by St. Benedict.

A disastrous fire in the year 1297 destroyed large parts of the monastery, most notably the church. During its existence, the abbey suffered not only from fire, the plague, and a series of bad harvests. Home to Catholic monks, it suffered at the time of the Protestant Reformation as well: in 1566 Melk Abbey housed just three monks, three priests, and two lay brothers. Only the Counter-Reformation led to a certain recovery.

After the monastery was again destroyed by fire during the Turkish invasion, its reconstruction was ordered and its history took a dramatic turn. Melk reached the climax of its pomp and glory during the baroque age, when the famous Austrian architect Jakob Prandtauer (1660-1726) completely rebuilt the abbey in Baroque style. The painter Paul Troger was contracted to carry out the frescos in the Bibliotek (library) and in the Marmorsaal (Marmor = marble + Saal = hall). It is their work that visitors to Melk can admire today.

Abbey - Stift Melk is open all year round. From November to March, however, you can visit the abbey only twice a day with a guided tour. The finest parts you can visit today are the Bibliotek, which is one of the finest of its kind in central Europe; the Marmorsaal with fine frescos; and the Stiftskirche (Stift = abbey + Kirche = church). From the terrace you have a good view over the Danube valley and the surrounding area.

Don't miss to admire the exterior of the whole abbey from the banks of the Danube. The view is especially beautiful from the east in the evening, when the setting sun dives the yellow-brown walls of Melk into a warm light.

Getting there - Trains link Vienna Westbahnhof with Melk about every 30 minutes. Some trains are direct; with others trains you might have to change in St. Pölten. The trip takes about an hour. From the train station you can walk easily through the town up to the abbey. If you are going by car from Vienna, take the westbound highway A1 to Melk.

Stift Melk has a website:
http://www.stiftmelk.at/englisch/index.html

Open: May to September, daily 9 am to 6 pm.
October to 3 November, daily 9 am to 5 pm.
4 November to 28 March, visits are available only twice a day by taking a guided tour (in German) that starts at 11 am and 2 pm.